Post-Bihar polls, the BJP is gearing up to take on the Opposition challenge in the Parliament on the issue of alleged “intolerance” in country as the NDA meets on Sunday followed by an all-party meet and a separate BJP Parliamentary party executive meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence, next week.
The Winter Session of Parliament, which is scheduled to start from November 26 and to go on till December 23, is expected to be “tough and stormy” with Congress-led Opposition posing to put out a united face to derail Government’s “development agenda and assertions”, said sources in the party.
Union Parliamentary Minister M Venkaiah Naidu along with two of his Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Rajiv Pratap Rudy met here Wednesday and discussed, among other things, the progress of parleys with the Congress and Opposition parties on the ensuing session.
On November 22, the NDA would be meeting and deliberating its strategy against the opposition in two houses and the ways to put the Congress on mat on the issue of “intolerance” “We are ready for the discussion with answer on each point of `their intolerance`,” they said. Sources, however, maintained that the session lasting less than a month could be “ a tough one..”.
The all-party meet is scheduled for November 25 when BJP’s Parliamentary party’s executive will also go into a huddle at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at 7, Race Course Road, followed by an NDA meet the same day.
Parliament is to have a two-day discussion on ‘Commitment to Indian Constitution’ focusing on the contribution of one of its founding fathers -B R Ambedkar.
Naqvi told The Pioneer that the Government was in touch with “the floor managers” of the Congress, including its lok Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge, to work out a fruitful winter session and ensure that the Opposition allows Government transact important business.
Meanwhile, Union Finance Minster Arun Jaitley met Rahul Gandhi. While it was not confirmed what transpired, sources said it could be both for extending invitation for his daughter’s marriage on December 9 as also on the issue of Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitutional bill, pending in the Parliament.